STATISTICS can be helpful when framing an argument but as Treasurer Joe Hockey has discovered they can also land you in a world of pain. So much pain, in fact, that even members of his own government are distancing themselves from his assertion that poor people drive less and therefore would not suffer as much from higher fuel prices.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Hockey had based his comment on averaged out figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Unfortunately, averages have little to do with reality, especially here in the Shoalhaven, where there are more people who would be classed as poor, travel greater distances and, with scant public transport, have a heavier reliance on motor vehicles to get around.
Needless to say, the Treasurer’s comments have gone down like a lead balloon. Even Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis has been forthright in agreeing the Treasurer’s assertion was not reflected on local realities. She says she has made her feelings known to his office, which is the only proper thing to do.
Mr Hockey needs all the friends he can get if he is going to ever sell his tough budget but this latest generalisation will win him very few around here.
One hopes, as the person with his hands on the levers of the economy, he learns a fundamental principle of critical thought, that averages are perilous things on which to base arguments – just as generalising about the world will attract immediate accusations that you are completely out of touch with reality.
